Americas Pioneering Spirit, The Gateway Arch Museum

‘The Gateway Arch Museumʼ. Missouri, USA.

Gateway Arch National Park was created in 1935, and became part of the National Park Service, in 2018 this year a new museum has opened beneath the grounds of the arch.
Civic leader Luther Ely Smith conceived the idea of building a memorial to help revive the riverfront and memorialize the story of the nation’s westward expansion. Through a nationwide design competition conducted 1947–1948, Eero Saarinen’s stainless steel Arch was chosen as the memorial that would celebrate the accomplishments of early pioneers. St. Louis celebrated with a groundbreaking on June 23, 1959.

‘To me the drawn language is a very revealing language: one can see in a few lines whether a man is really an architect.’
Eero Saarinen

Over the next few years, Saarinen perfected his design and workers began excavating the grounds in 1961.

Project Details

It is through the dedication and enthusiasm of multiple talented individuals working together, which has enabled the creation and completion of the The Gateway Arch Museum experience. Employees of Studio AC have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the ongoing GAM story.